I'm so embarrassed. Not by anything I did at the Aussie Rules Australia Day tasting, but by how long it's been since my last post. Have I even told you that I finished my WSET Level III? I keep swearing I'm going to find the time to get back into this. So special thanks to Shelley Hamer Jackson of Wine Australia who invited me out to celebrate Australia Day with House Wine at the Stanely Park Pavilion this weekend. It was a terrific event - well attended but not overly crowded, with plenty of familiar faces - and in a great location.
What was interesting to me about this event was that so many of the wines were in the $15-25 range, and quite a few were lower than $15. Definitely not snobby territory here, and plenty of wines you'd happily drink on a regular day and find in your regular wine store. How very Australian.
One of my favourite Australian wineries, d'Arenberg, was there pouring their Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne, Custodian Grenache and Laughing Magpie Viognier Shiraz. All three are excellent and good value ($25-30). You simply cannot go wrong with anything they produce at any price point, at least not in my experience. If you're going to look for any of these I'd say go search out the Hermit Crab (try Firefly on Cambie, $27.15), although the other two are in government stores and will be easier to find. The Hermit Crab is a blend of grapes you'd normally find in the Southern Rhone, so finding it from Australia is going to give you a unique experience that's still super approachable with apricot and floral notes, a bit of nuttiness and sweet spice. I just can't imagine anyone not liking this wine.
Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir was my favourite Pinot of the night. To be fair, it's not like I tried them all, but I really did love this one. Bright but not overripe strawberry, dried fall leaves and a hint of vanilla make this ridiculously easy to drink and pair. It's $30 and I suspect you should look in private shops, because I can't find it on the government stores' website.
The same reps were pouring Greg Norman sparkling, which I did not have high hopes for at all. Is it snooty that I shy away from celebrity and sports stars' wineries? If so, I'm sorry, but it seems self-serving and that leaves me feeling a bit icky. It just does. Drew Barrymore has a Pinot Grigio out now, which considering she was in rehab at something like 12 years old, well, major ick factor. But back to Greg Norman. I was wrong - it was delicious, and I'm telling you it pairs with a Vegemite sandwich on toasty buttered white bread something fierce! Vegemite is seriously crazy stuff, all super salty and yeasty. It's not for everyone, but if you're into umami it's your new best friend. I pretty much dared myself to try one of the Vegemite sandwiches they were passing around, and the next challenge immediately became to find something to pair it with. The thought process went like this: "Vegemite's salty and so is caviar, which is classic with Champagne. I'm not going to find Champagne because it's an Australian tasting, but on the other side of the room I saw that Greg Norman sparkling made from Chardonnay, Pinor Noir and Pinot Meunier. The toasted bread in the sandwich will mirror the toasty characteristics of the wine. Let's do it." I'm so glad I did. It's a pretty creamy wine, so it worked well. But the umami of the Vegemite did something really special when it met the wine, and the whole thing was magic. Again, I can't find this on the government website, so check the private shops. It'll run you about $30. Vegemite is available all over, even at London Drugs.
Happy Australia Day!
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